Asthma Cause no. 6 - Respirable Dust

On the trail of the causes of asthma

Asthma can have many causes. In this miniseries, we will describe the most common causes in brief. This is part six of the series. It is important that you have read and followed the first five parts. Only by consistently following the rules, will you identify your personal causes.

Respirable dust as a cause

It is known that tiny particles can certainly trigger health problems. The WHO estimates that particulate matter is connected with approximately 350,000 deaths in Europe. Consequently the EU has set a limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air in an attempt to limit levels of particulates in the air. Measurements in inner cities have shown that industry and traffic are partially responsible for this limit being exceeded, so the driver is pinpointed as the culprit and is taxed accordingly!

Is outside air really that dangerous?

The meteorologist Dr. Karsten Brandt, of www.donnerwetter.de, has investigated the significance of pollution in outside air. On average, most people breathe in outside air for only two hours a day. In addition, indoor air in homes, offices or shops has a much higher proportion of fine dust. In an office there can be as much as three times more dust than in the outside air. In a restaurant or a café, the level may be 300 times higher than at a traffic intersection

Indoor air is a hundred times more dangerous than outdoor air

Dr. Brandt has investigated the subject of indoor air pollution. Amazingly, there are hardly any measurements available and no published values, despite the fact that most people spend the main part of the day in closed rooms. A restaurant without ventilation can reach 6000 micrograms of particulate matter / cubic meter of air, whilst a restaurant with ventilation may be as low as 200 micrograms of particulate matter / cubic meter of air. However, even this lower measurement is still four times higher than the EU limit. A car exhaust without a filter will only reach 3700 micrograms of particulate matter / cubic meter of air! On average, the level in homes is 100-400 micrograms of particulate matter but, when baking, this proportion can quickly soar to 1000 micrograms. Smoking can cause the proportion of fine dust to reach 10,000 micrograms of particulate matter / cubic meter of air so smokers should always smoke outside for the benefit of others and themselves. Dr. Brandt has also carried out his own measurements. Asthmatics should study his findings and follow his advice: "ventilate, ventilate, ventilate”! The outside air is always cleaner than the indoor air so if you're asthmatic, you should aim to be outside as much as possible because, even at a busy intersection, the particulate pollution is less than indoors.

The search for the cause is the central point

Asthmatics are advised to read the book "Allergies – The Real Causes”. Here, the causes of allergies are explained along with guidelines for eliminating asthma. We recommend that you sign up in the Body-Network Community, where you will have the opportunity to chat with other allergy sufferers, share your experiences and gain more insight into the causes of your allergies.

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